1. Technical Field
The present invention pertains to cable connectors; more particularly, the present invention pertains to a connector for attaching and sealing a gauge housing assembly to the end of an armored insulated electrical conductor.
2. History of Related Art
In recent years, it has become common practice to insert gauges into wells. The purpose of inserting gauges into wells is to monitor various downhole parameters such as temperature, pressure, Ph, radiation, and a variety of other variables which indicate the condition of the well. To effectively use the information sensed by these gauges, it is necessary to connect the downhole gauges to a monitoring system located at the top of the well. Typically, the cables which connect the downhole gauges to a monitoring system at the top well pass through the space between the production tubing and the well casing.
Because of the movement of production tubing within the casing of the well, the cables which connect the downhole gauges together must be protected from large impact forces. One system of protecting the cables connected to the downhole gauges is by using a continuous coil of armor wire which is applied around the insulated electrical conductor. Such an armor system is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/301,896 filed Apr. 29, 1999 and owned by the same assignee.
At the bottom of the well, the actual gauge may be located in a high-pressure fluidic environment. This high-pressure fluidic environment, if allowed to leak into the gauge housing to surround the electrical connection between the gauge and the wire, may actually short-circuit the electrical connection between the gauge and the wire and thus render the gauge useless.
There is therefore a need in the art to provide a system which will both attach and seal a gauge housing assembly to the end of an armored insulated electrical conductor.
A system for attaching and sealing a gauge housing assembly to the end of an armored insulated electrical conductor includes a hollow molded connector and hollow outer sleeve. The hollow molded connector has a proximal end which sealingly engages the end of the gauge housing. On the distal end, the hollow molded connector encircles the continuous coil of armor wire which surrounds the armored insulated electrical conductor. Between the proximal end and the distal end of the hollow molded connector is a central portion. The central portion, when sealed around the insulation portion of the insulated electrical connector, forms a molecular bond therewith. Surrounding the proximal end of the hollow molded connector and the gauge housing is a hollow outer sleeve. The hollow outer sleeve is swaged to compressively engage the proximal portion of the hollow molded connector and mechanically engage a groove formed around the outside of the gauge housing.